Saw the news yesterday about Belgian shot-putter Jolien Boumkwo taking part in the 100m hurdles to help Belgium get a couple of points at the European Team Championships and stay in their division! Pretty incredible commitment to the cause there.

Caught a bit of the Diamond League in Lausanne this evening - some fantastic racing going on, the Men's 5000m in particular was really exciting to watch! A fantastic win from Aregawi, dropping all his compatriots one-by-one and holding off Cheptegei who had slowly managed to make his way past each one of them to stay in the race.

Jake Wightman will not defend his 1500m title at the World Championships in Budapest in August after an injury-disrupted season.

 

The Scot burst past Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and clinched a surprise gold in Eugene a year ago.

 

The 28-year-old went on to claim Commonwealth 1500m bronze and European 800m silver, but suffered a stress fracture of his foot earlier this year.

Double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya was discriminated against by rules which forced her to lower her testosterone levels in order to continue competing, the European Court of Human Rights has found.

 

The 32-year-old South African was born with differences of sexual development (DSD) and is not allowed to compete in events between 400m and a mile without taking testosterone-reducing drugs.

 

On Thursday the ECHR ruled in favour of Semenya in a case involving testosterone levels in female athletes.

^ Always such a difficult one to navigate - reading the article, it sounds like this is specifically relating to one incident regarding the Swiss government so doesn't change anything regarding her / other intersex women's regulations in athletics.

 

Just been watching a bit of the UK Athletics Championships - find it slightly amusing that they still feel the need to put the UK flag next to the name of each athlete even through they're all from the same country!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/66393131

 

From one reigning world and Olympic champion to another, Thiam is also a doubt for Budapest. However, it is injury in her case, so it is more easily understandable should she not defend her title

Hamish Kerr, who didn't make the final of the high jump last week just jumped 2.33, a PB & NR!

That's pretty impressive! Don't think I realised how quickly the Diamond League recommenced after the World Champs :o

Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa smashed the women's marathon world record as she won Sunday's race in Berlin.

 

Assefa, who also won last year's race, crossed the line in a time of two hours, 11 minutes and 53 seconds.

 

She took more than two minutes off the previous record of 2:14.04 - set by Kenya's Brigid Kosgei in Chicago in 2019.

Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum shattered the men's marathon world record in Chicago as he beat compatriot Eliud Kipchoge's previous mark by more than 30 seconds.

 

The 23-year-old finished in a time of two hours 35 seconds.

 

"I feel so happy. A world record was not in my mind today," he said after beating Kipchoge's time of 2:01.09, set in Berlin in September 2022.

 

Dutch runner Sifan Hassan set the second-fastest women's time in marathon history as she won the female event.

 

Her time of 2:13:44 is behind only the record of 2:11.53 set by Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa in Berlin last month.

 

Kiptum broke the tape three minutes 27 seconds ahead of countryman Benson Kipruto, with Belgian Bashir Abdi in third.

Technical director Stephen Maguire has left UK Athletics "with immediate effect".

 

Maguire, 59, led Britain to their joint-best medal haul of 10 at August's World Athletics Championships, matching their 1993 performance.

 

The chief selector had been in the post for 16 months, and departs nine months before the Paris 2024 Olympics.

 

Northern Irishman Maguire has previously worked at Sport Ireland and Sport Scotland.

Paula Dunn has been appointed interim head coach at UK Athletics.

 

The governing body said on Tuesday that technical director Stephen Maguire had left, nine months before the Paris 2024 Olympics.

 

Britain's former 200m world champion Dina Asher-Smith said she wants a "full explanation" for the "disappointing decision" over Maguire's departure.

 

Former sprinter Dunn, 58, will lead the performance programme for next year's Olympics and Paralympics.

Five-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah has split with her coach eight months before she will attempt to defend her sprint titles at Paris 2024.

 

According to her management team, the 31-year-old parted with Shanikie Osbourne because of the "extremely excessive" terms sought by the coach.

 

The Jamaican won 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold at Tokyo 2020 after winning 100m and 200m gold at Rio 2016.

British sprinter Bianca Williams has been banned from driving despite telling a court it would jeopardise her chances of going to the 2024 Olympics.

 

Williams, 29, failed to tell police who was driving a Tesla Model 3 when an alleged offence took place.

 

The athlete claimed a ban would make it difficult for her to get to training.

 

But magistrates at Lavender Hill rejected her claim that she could not use public transport and suspended her from driving for six months.

Josh Kerr has been named Scottish sportsperson of the year by sportscotland and Team Scotland.

 

The 26-year-old became 1500m world champion in Budapest earlier this year and also won male athlete of the year.

Great Britain's Abbie Donnelly came third in the senior women's race at the European Cross Country Championships in Belgium.

 

Norway's Karoline Grovdal came first, while Italy's Nadia Battocletti overtook Donnelly late to claim second.

 

Britain's Megan Keith and Innes Fitzgerald both won their respective women's Under-23 and U20 races.

 

Compatriot Will Barnicoat won the men's U23 race, with team-mate Matthew Stonier third.